A suggestion for WHF? 5 star reviews.

[Babur72]

Hi guys,

This topic may have been touched upon within this forum before,but i'd just like to proffer a suggestion & have your thoughts regarding WHF? mags. 5 star reviews.

To assist us mere mortals trying to navigate the Hi-Fi marketplace,sort through the often bewildering variety of products & seek out those audiophile gems more efficiently,would the WHF? editorial staff ever consider the award of 5 gold stars(a gold standard if you will).Enabling us to distinguish only those products or solutions determined to be the very best of their type,irrespective of their price-point,from the standard 5(red) star awarded products?

I'd be interested to know whether this gold 5 star award has ever been used before & your views of it's feasibility.

Thanks.

BABUR.

 

[radovantz]

I second that suggestion. 5 gold stars had been used for excellent products in 2002 Awards (before I quit HiFi that year). Why What-HiFi discontinued of using that colour?

I would like to add suggestion :-

5 gold stars for excellent, 5 red stars for the best,

5 black stars for the best product caught by newer rivals.. better than loosing one. (This would appreciate peoples' money)

 

[Anonymous]

If my memory serves me correctly, (unlikely) there used to be 5 star gold awards. If im correct (as it was some years back) I have no idea why this was removed.

Have to wait until the team is online to clarify.

 

[fr0g]

Was it supertest winners? (and as a sheer guess it might have been dropped because not all similar products have been supertested)

 

[Andrew Everard]

I can't help but feel that a multiplicity of different coloured stars would be far too confusing - simpler by far to take the standard five-star rating system and take into account the date of test when reading the magazine buying guide.

Yes, we did run gold stars in the print buying guide to indicate supertest winners, but this seems to have stopped. Not sure why, and I'll leave it to those closer to the Buying Guide pages to explain why, rather than making sheer giesses.

 

[Anonymous]

Babur72:
Hi guys,

To assist us mere mortals trying to navigate the Hi-Fi marketplace,sort through the often bewildering variety of products & seek out those audiophile gems more efficiently,would the WHF? editorial staff ever consider the award of 5 gold stars(a gold standard if you will).Enabling us to distinguish only those products or solutions determined to be the very best of their type,irrespective of their price-point,from the standard 5(red) star awarded products?

Hi Babur,

as a fellow forum member I cannot tell you how often I have encountered stories from people who bought blindly and as a result were not satisfied with the outcome! This one only being the top of the iceberg: http://whathifi.com/forums/t/114957.aspx

So, for the sake of people listening to components to find the the right match (system synergy), please What Hifi, do not change anything in the process that might prompt people to think, -because they trust blindly- that they can't buy blindly.

Personally, I would very much rather have a 'how to match components video' on the site. Or something similar in the mag.

 

[Clare Newsome]

The Gold Stars were dropped because research showed they confused more people than they helped.

They were replaced by the Best Buys spread that's appeared in every issue since 2004, which not only is an overview (updated every month) of our favourite hi-fi and home cinema products and accessories, but also builds budget, midrange and high-end systems we know will work well together.

You can now find even more Best Buys online here.

Our Awards also, of course, highlight the very best you can buy, and include system-building suggestions for each category. This year's Awards will be unveiled in print and online on 16th October.

 

[JoelSim]

Solomon1:Babur72:
Hi guys,

Toÿassist us mere mortals trying to navigate theÿHi-Fi marketplace,sort through the often bewilderingÿvariety ofÿproducts & seek out those audiophile gems more efficiently,would the WHF? editorial staff ever consider theÿaward ofÿ5 gold stars(a gold standard if you will).Enabling us toÿdistinguish only those products or solutionsÿdetermined to be the very best of their type,irrespective of their price-point,from the standard 5(red) star awarded products?Hi Babur,as a fellow forum member I cannot tell you how often I have encountered stories from people who bought blindly and as a result were not satisfied with the outcome! This one only being the top of the iceberg: http://whathifi.com/forums/t/114957.aspxSo, for the sake of people listening to components to find the the right match (system synergy), please What Hifi, do not change anything in the process that might prompt people to think, -because they trust blindly- that they can't buy blindly.Personally, I would very much rather have a 'how to match components video' on the site. Or something similar in the mag.

ÿ

Surely a how to match components is a very tricky area? There are so many factors involved, a Cyrus/MA system may sound great in a carpeted room with drapes, but in a Victorian flat with wooden floorboards and bench seats it may sound terrible.

ÿ